Business Buzz

Suhrid Barua has an unbridled passion for business and sports. He has worked/written for media houses like Thatscricket.com, The New Indian Express, MiD Day, Maharastra Herald (now Sakaal Times), Pune Mirror (Times of India's tabloid daily), CricketCountry, The Assam Tribune, The Telegraph and Sportskeeda. Watch out for this blog space for interviews, analysis, match coverage, stats figures and much more!

Thursday, September 21, 2017

The
blockchain technology has been generating plenty of buzz across industries even
before its commercial rollout. This much-hyped technology has been grabbing
newspaper headlines although it is still a long way from being ready for
commercial adoption. In fact, a recent study by Infosys and LTP revealed that
the commercial adoption of blockchain technology is unlikely to happen at least
until 2020.

There
is also confusion in some quarters, if not everywhere about what this
technology is all about? Blockchain is a decentralized ledger that records and
stores every transaction across a peer-to-peer network. It stands out for data
integrity, networked immutability and for being tamper-proof.

There
is a lot of talk and activity in the industry around the disruptive nature of
blockchain and its possible impact on businesses. The big question is: How can
blockchain revolutionize the healthcare industry? It is perhaps too early to
make an emphatic statement but one cannot overlook the new possibilities this
technology will present for the healthcare industry. Blockchain-powered health
IT systems can facilitate health data interoperability, data integrity and
security, portable user-owned data among others. What’s more, blockchain could
ensure cryptographically secure and irrevocable data exchange systems.
Leveraging such a technology will ensure seamless access to historic and
real-time patient data and eliminate data reconciliation costs. A classic
example of blockchain technology in the healthcare space could be the recent
collaboration (on a trial basis) between data-centric security company
Guardtime and Estonian eHealth Foundation to secure the health records of one
million Estonian citizens. But such a model is unlikely to be replicated
globally given the complexities surrounding data ownership and governance
structure for health data exchange between public and private entities.

Claims
adjudication and billing management is another area where blockchain can transform
the operating ways of the healthcare industry. It is estimated that around
5-10% of healthcare costs are fraudulent owing to excessive billing or billing
for non-performed services. One can recall the Medicare fraud in the US that
caused around $30 million in losses in 2016. Blockchain-enabled systems have
the potential to automate the majority of claim adjudication and payment
processing activities and minimize these medical billing-related frauds. Not
just that, blockchain systems could help to root out the need for
intermediaries and trim administrative costs for providers and payers.

Pharmaceutical
companies have been incurring an estimated annual loss of $200 billion owing to
sale of counterfeit drugs. Blockchain can play a significant part in ensuring
drug supply chain integrity. This technology can facilitate a chain-of-custody
log, tracking each step of the supply chain at the individual drug/product
level. Furthermore, add-on functionalities such as private keys and smart
contracts could help build proof of ownership of the drug source at any point
in the supply chain and manage the contracts between different parties. Take
the case of iSolve LCC that is currently working with multiple pharma/biopharma
companies to implement its Advanced Digital Ledger Technology (ADLT) blockchain
solutions to help manage drug supply chain integrity.

This
technology can be leveraged to cope with unreported clinical trials that can
create patient safety issues and knowledge gaps for healthcare stakeholders and
health policymakers. Blockchain-enabled, time-stamped immutable records of
clinical trials, protocols and results could potentially address the issues of
outcome switching, data snooping and selective reporting, thereby reducing the
incidence of fraud and error in clinical trial records. Blockchain-based
systems could help drive unprecedented collaboration between participants and
researchers around medical research innovation in fields like precision
medicine and population health management.

Health
data breaches are a huge concern in the healthcare industry. According to the
Protenus Breach Barometer report, as many as 450 health data breaches occurred
in 2016, affecting over 27 million patients. The blockchain technology can
avoid such breaches due to hacking and ransomware.

Given
the current growth of connected health devices, the existing Health IT
infrastructure and architecture will find it highly challenging to support the
evolving IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) ecosystems. It is estimated that
20-30 billion healthcare IoT connected devices will be used globally by 2020.
Blockchain-enabled solutions can bridge the gaps of device data
interoperability and ensure data security, privacy and reliability around IoMT
use cases. Companies such as Telstra (user biometrics and smart homes), IBM
(cognitive Internet of Things) and Tierion (industrial medical device
preventive maintenance) are actively working around these use cases.

One
would stop short of suggesting that blockchain will revolutionize the healthcare
industry but there is no denying the fact that this technology will drive
enhanced operational efficiency of healthcare players. Bring on blockchain! The
healthcare industry across the globe is excited to embrace it!

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The changing market demands invariably create the ‘need’ for enterprises to look at enhancing their operational efficiencies and stay healthy on the profitability front. In a highly competitive marketplace where enterprises are looking at every possible opportunity of staying ahead of their competitors, it has become imperative for businesses to wear the ‘change jacket’ to stay competitive.

Given this scenario, the arrival of much-hyped artificial intelligence (AI) has set tongues wagging about its ‘deployment’ across various industries. It won’t be a far-fetched exaggeration if this machine learning technology is considered as an ‘extended helping hand’ to the existing processes of involving humans across diverse workflows. In fact, the layman’s version about artificial intelligence is that it can carry out tasks performed hitherto by humans, in terms of human intelligence such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.

The deployment of artificial intelligence is well and truly underway across industries, but there is a great deal of buzz about how this machine learning technology will enhance the efficiency parameters of the human resources (HR) department.

There is little doubt that artificial intelligence will transform the way how HR departments function across the globe. For starters, artificial intelligence can play a big role in a candidate’s application screening process. There are various AI tools that can keep the candidate engaged after he/she has applied for a position in a company. There is a growing trend nowadays of asking candidates a set of questions pertaining to that position, which helps the hiring manager to get a deeper understanding of a candidate’s credentials for any position.

Artificial intelligence also ensures adequate candidate engagement. Sample this – a candidate applies for a job through the company’s website or through some job portal or recruitment consultants; it is only natural for companies to take time to respond, in terms of taking the process forward. Such a situation can leave a candidate impatient and clueless about the way forward. This is where artificial intelligence can optimize candidate engagement by sending out automated email or messages that the selection process is on and avoid any unwanted communication gaps.

Artificial intelligence can be of big help when it comes catering to unsolicited applications – a classic case of a candidate applying for a job after the job application process is closed. In such cases, AI can facilitate reengagement of such candidates by providing them an opportunity to update their individual records, which could have gotten updated from the last time they were engaged.

There is also talk that the HR department does not quite adhere to the follow-up process as seriously as desired. This is evident is cases when an offer letter is rolled out to a candidate and there is a time gap of one or two months for he/she to join depending on his notice period. It is increasingly seen that many candidates don’t turn up on the day of joining, thus defeating the whole exercise of a hiring team’s screening, interviewing and selection process. AI can help to substantially prevent ‘no-shows’ by engaging the soon-to-join candidates and ensure they are motivated to turn up on the day of joining. This area of focus is crucial because candidates at times, have multiple offers at hand and care little about adhering to promises of joining a company on a particular day, as monetary gains drive most, if not all, to resort to such tactics (of not taking up a job as promised with the acceptance of the offer letter).

Artificial intelligence can smoothen the existing onboarding process. Normally, a candidate goes through an induction programme, where a HR personnel introduces him to the company, company’s culture, policies, and processes. AI can minimise the physical presence of HR personnel by providing new candidates with required company information.

Artificial intelligence can also be handy in optimising the employee relationship management process. A lot of routine queries such as leave, salary, bonus payment, etc are addressed by HR personnel and AI can address these queries via a chatroom or emails. Of course, there will be queries that will demand human interaction and in such cases AI can set up meetings between a candidate and the HR personnel.

Deploying artificial intelligence across the HR department won’t come cheap. AI are highly complex machines and would entail high costs. Such machine learning technologies have software programmes that need regular upgradation to meet the needs of the changing environment. To top it all, such AIs requirement lofty repair and maintenance costs. Cost is not the only factor here – in the event of any severe breakdowns, the process of recovering lost codes and reinstating the system can also be a time-consuming exercise.

Artificial intelligence is seen as an answer to many corporate woes but it must be pointed out that it cannot probably replicate humans. It is important to understand that AI do not carry any emotions and moral values and performed their tasks in a ‘programmed’ manner with little or no scope of making the judgment of right or wrong. AIs are incapable of taking decisive decisions when a situation warrants if a complex scenario crops up.

Humans deliver better productivity with experience but the same cannot be said about AI. In fact, artificial intelligence will only witness wear and tear with time. AI cannot be expected to work passionately as care or concerns are outside its purview. They not capable of distinguishing between a diligent worker and an inept worker.

It will be too much to expect original creativity from artificial intelligence as it cannot match the thinking power of the human brain and lack emotions.

Of course, the big talking point of artificial intelligence is centred on whether machines will replace humans and create large-scale unemployment. It could be true to some extent that robots will carry out the jobs until now performed by humans, but it is hard to see AI replace humans in all work streams of a company.

The advent of artificial intelligence is seen by companies as a mechanism to not just up their performance efficiency parameters but also trim labour costs by getting things done through machines. It is also impractical to see that AI will entirely replace human personnel and that the HR department will functional through robots. Surely, AI will make the working of the HR department more efficient than ever before, but it will be inappropriate to suggest that AI will take away the jobs of HR personnel. The HR department across industries will embrace artificial intelligence going forward, but this is not to say that human intelligence will be wiped off from the corporate landscape.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Home buyers across the country have been at the receiving end of endless delays over delivery of projects or late possession of real estate projects over the years, leaving themselves ‘helpless’ at the hands of developers. All that is set to change with the implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) 2016. The RERA is poised to bring about a paradigm shift in India’s real estate sector, with the onus now on real estate developers and real estate agents to comply with RERA, which came into effect from May 1, 2017.

Touted as a consumer-centric Act, the RERA aims to drive transparency and accountability in the sector and enhance the confidence level of home buyers. More importantly, it will not only protect the interests of home buyers and developers but also ensure home buyers are not taken for granted by real estate developers and brokers.

It may be worth mentioning that both houses of Parliament had passed the real estate bill in March 2016. It is important to point out that the onus is now on the states to draft and pass their own laws according to the guidelines since land is a state subject.

The effective implementation of RERA is expected to mitigate the pain points of the sector. Although real estate players have welcomed the new Act, industry watchers believe that there are still challenges that need to be overcome before the much-hyped Act is effectively implemented. Many states are not still adequate prepared with the desired infrastructure and resources to implement the Act. What’s more, most real estate developers and brokers have indicated that they are still in the process of understanding the regulations. The response from the states to the Union government’s April 30 deadline to notify the Act left a lot to be desired with only 13 states and union territories having notified the rules so far – only three states – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – have appointed a housing regulator. Significantly, barring Maharashtra no state has set up a website where developers and brokers can register or apply for new projects under the new Act. All these effectively mean that teething problems exist, which have to be resolved before the Act is implemented across the country.

The Act makes it mandatory for all real estate developers and brokers to register with their respective state regulatory authorities by July 30 without which they cannot sell any project. It remains to be see whether all builders and agents meet the stipulated deadline. For now, it does appear a tall order simply because most states do not have a regulatory authority and nor have websites ready to apply, which mean no new registrations and project launches can take place in these states. It is only a few big states with major real estate activities that are in advanced stages of either having notified (the new rules) or are geared up to comply with RERA.

Real estate lobby group Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai) is aware of the challenges the new Act offers for developers. Credai feels that real estate developers will face teething problems, which will result in new project launches getting delayed and home sales getting impacted for the next few months.

According to industry experts, most developers would be need about six to eight weeks of work to make themselves RERA compliant. It will not be easy for developers and agents to be RERA-compliant in a sector, which has been under no regulation for so long. Despite all the initial challenges, the RERA is a win-win situation for buyers and developers. But there are areas that would pose concerns for real estate developers. Developers would be held responsible for any delays caused by other agencies or authorities. From this perspective it does appear that RERA will end up favouring home buyers at the cost of builders and developers.

On the positive front, the RERA will instil a sense of fiscal discipline – it ensures no developer can transfer funds meant for one project for another. This measure will ensure sufficient funds for timely completion of projects as well as for timely delivery of flats to the home buyers.

The smooth implementation of the RERA may take some months, but there is no doubt that the Act will change the way real estate developers operate across the country. RERA was just what the doctor ordered for the Indian real estate sector.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

The European banking sector has been under stress over the past few years owing to various factors such as low interest rates, massive fines and feeble earnings results. Further, high levels of bad loans continued to be a drag on the European banking system. According to top audit firm KPMG, the European banking sector has around €1.1trillion (£0.94tn) in non-performing loans, almost three times as much compared to the US.

Besides high volume of bad loans, banks are grappling with weak balance sheet strength and inadequate loan loss provisions – all these factors have collectively crimped the performance of European banks. Top banks such as HSBC Holdings, Deutsche Bank and Barclays have all come up with disappointing earnings results. This is in stark contrast to big-ticket U.S. banks such as J.P Morgan, Citi and Goldman Sachs that posted stronger-than-expected profits in 2016, supported by the contractionary monetary policy in the US.

The banking sector clearly has a tough road ahead, but structurally, it is poised for a massive overhaul with the European Commission moving toward implementing the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) by January 13, 2018. What is the PSD2 all about and why it has generated so much buzz in the European banking sector? Well, PSD2 is widely seen as a ‘game-changing’ directive that is poised to bring an end to banks’ control over their customers’ account information and payment services and offer third party providers access to customers’ accounts through open application program interfaces (APIs).

This eyeball-grabbing directive is set to transform the payments landscape across the European Union. PSD2, once implemented, will pave the way for bank customers (both consumers and businesses) to use third-party providers to manage their finances. A likely scenario could be that of customers using Facebook or Google to pay their bills, making person-to-person payments (P2P) transfers with their money safely parked in their respective bank accounts.

PSD2 – administered by the European Commission – aims to ensure every EU bank is digitally optimized. In a nutshell, this directive will create cut-throat competition in the payment services market in Europe between banks and new payment service providers (PSPs) as well as drive innovation in the European Fintech industry. More importantly, it will eliminate hidden fees charged by banks. It is seen that banks find it convenient to add transaction fees but now with the market becoming more crowded, banks will have to put their ‘rethinking’ caps on. All these factors will go a long way in ensuring an improved customer experience. In fact, the perceived fierce competition in the banking sector is a big worry for most European banks. According to some estimates, 20-25% of banks could be at risk from the new competitors owing to PSD2.

The advent of PSD2 has triggered talk about whether PSD2 would mark the end of banks’ monopoly over customers’ accounts. Delving deep, it is reasonable to assume that banks are unlikely to lose their significance as far as catering to customer needs are concerned, while granting third party providers access to customers’ account information. The need of the hour for banks is to walk down the ‘reinvent’ path and come up with robust differentiators to stay competitive.

The host of regulatory approvals and licenses required to enter the banking space means that it is never an easy proposition for new entrants. But non-banking FinTech companies, by virtue of PSD2, could find it a lot easier to foray into the market and play a significant role in the future financial landscape.

The European banking sector is also bracing up for the second installment of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive — better known as Mifid II – considered one of European Union’s most ambitious financial reforms. The challenges of complying with Mifid II – which will come into force in 2018 – lie in ‘how prepared’ asset managers are for so-called unbundling. Under Mifid II, asset managers are required to budget separately for broker research costs and trading costs – a significant departure from decades-old practice of asset managers bundling together trading and broker research costs into a single fee, often receiving research from an investment bank or broker in exchange for using them to carry out trades. Asset managers have two options – either they absorb their research costs or set up a research payment account.

A research conducted by Electronic Research Interchange (ERIC) revealed that 74% of asset managers foresee a reduction in investment bank research. MiFid II is expected to improve quality of research. For instance, if there are more than 400 reports generated for a particular stock, we can end up having a scenario of 50 reports or even less for that stock. This will further enhance requirements for in-depth bespoke research.

It is fair to assume that the effective implementation of PDS2 and MiFid II is of crucial interest to the European banking sector. Effective implementation of these directives will crank up competition in the banking sector, which in turn, will drive consolidation across the European Union and improve customer journey. For sure, PDS2 and MiFid II might pan out to be a short-term pain but would pay rich dividends in the long run.

The
country's construction industry will be looking to build on the strong
momentum gained in 2016. The year 2016 undoubtedly has been a hit year
for the $126 billion construction industry, which is a major contributor
towards India’s GDP (both directly and indirectly). The construction
industry, which is the second largest employer, next only to
agriculture, staged a strong comeback in 2016 after witnessing de-growth
for four years owing to a sustained slowdown in the sector. In fact,
the growth of the country's construction equipment industry can draw a
parallel to the high growth it recorded in 2011.

The revival of
the construction industry can be attributed to the Union government’s
high focus on infrastructure funding. Clearly, the government’s stress
on infrastructure funding in two successive budgets would seem like
music to the ears of construction companies. It may be worth recalling
that Union government had initially earmarked Rs 57,976 crore for
construction and maintenance of roads and highways in the 2016-17
fiscal, up 24% over the actual spending in the previous financial year.
This was subsequently revised down to Rs 52,447 crore. The government
has set aside Rs 64,900 crore for construction of roads and highways for the next fiscal.

A
close look at the sales numbers of India’s leading earth moving and
construction equipment maker, JCB India would only provide a seal of
confirmation of where the industry is heading. The company’s revenue
grew by over 40% to Rs 8,000 crore in 2016 over 2015, of which exports
accounted for around 20%. It sold about 26,500 machines in 2016, which
is close to the sales numbers it achieved in 2011 when it sold 27,000
such machines.

Amidst this growth journey, the industry has
surmounted various challenges along the way. Acute shortage of skilled
workforce and paucity of construction sand, raw materials, and political
disturbances continue to serve as headwinds. On the positive front,
technological advancements and international infrastructure players
foraying into the Indian market augur well for the industry.The
construction industry will hope to thrive on big-tickets projects such
as the Smart Cities Project, the Government's ‘Housing for All by 2022’,
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). There
is also talk that the Union government is keen to further open up the
construction sector. There is a possibility that the government might
allow Indian companies to bring FDI even for undeveloped plots in any
project. The further opening of FDI to the construction sector coupled
with the roll-out of the much-hyped GST, which is expected to ease
tax-related complexities, will accelerate overall growth.

India’s
construction industry is poised to maintain the strong momentum in 2017
and beyond, but will find it hard to sustain its growth journey purely
on the back of a strong performance of the roads and highways sector
going forward. Infrastructure funding will continue to aid the industry
but overall the construction industry needs to see growth in other
segments such as real estate, mining and irrigation. ‘Not much growth is
happening in these sectors. It is imperative for these sectors to
contribute to the growth of the construction industry,” said a top
construction company official.

The construction sector has indeed
walked down the growth path and a much-needed revival of the real
estate, mining and irrigation sectors will make its growth journey a
complete success.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

The Gulf region has been a big draw for the expatriate population for
many decades now. Expats have been enjoying tax-free salary – surely a
motivating factor for foreign workers to flock to the Gulf region.
Tax-free salary provides an opportunity to save more, leading to an
increase in the disposable income per capita. Hence it is no surprise that the Gulf region is home to a large
foreign workforce. The expats comprise around 30 million of the 50
million GCC populations.

Oil export revenues constitute a major income source for Gulf
countries. However, since its highs of approximately USD100 a barrel in
2014, the oil prices saw a significant drop. Oil prices have nosedived
to around USD29 a barrel in January 2016 and recently recovered to hover
around just USD50-55. The prolonged oil price slump since the summer of
2014 has hugely dented oil export revenues. Consequently, the price
slump prompted the GCC governments to explore new revenue-earning
avenues.The jitters grew within the expat population when Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf made
a statement in mid-2016 that his ministry is intending to introduce an
income tax on foreign workers, only to subsequently clarify that it was
only a ‘proposal’.

According to the IMF, Saudi Arabia had introduced a personal income
tax on both nationals and non-nationals in 1950. Subsequently, the
Kingdom had excluded the Saudi nationals within six months of its
introduction. Later, the personal income tax on foreign workers was
suspended in 1975 amid high oil revenues and the need to recruit
expatriates to help build the Kingdom’s infrastructure as well as
develop the economy.The 1980s saw GCC countries introduce a personal income tax on
foreign workers during the low oil price period. However, GCC
governments had to back down as livid foreign workers, including
military contractors, raised the banner of ‘strike’ grounding air force
planes.Due to its unpopularity, imposing personal income tax in the GCC
region may be off the table for now. Nonetheless, GCC governments have
realized the importance of looking for alternative revenue streams. GCC
economies are feeling the pinch over the prolonged dip in oil
prices. One has to take into consideration the fact that GCC governments
are bracing up to impose a value-added tax (VAT) from 2018 onward in
their bid to diversify their revenue base. However, the introduction of
VAT is no guarantee that personal income tax will not be introduced in
future.

So, what could be the likely ramifications if GCC governments indeed
impose a personal income tax on both foreign workers as well as locals?
As learned from history, the most immediate consequence might be that
foreign workers may just pack up. Such a move can precipitate a labor
crunch. This is because foreign workers are still a ‘must-have’ for
certain jobs in the GCC region largely for two reasons. Firstly, the
local population in the GCC region do not appear to be keen on taking up
menial jobs. Secondly, the local population at times, lack requisite
skills required for various semi-skilled and skilled jobs performed by
expats.It is pretty clear that a lot will hinge on how oil prices shape
up in coming years and how successful GCC governments are enhancing
their non-oil revenues that will eventually determine whether expats can
continue enjoying tax-free salary in the Gulf region.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

There is little doubt that the objective of corporate enterprises is to walk down the ‘growth path’ or scale up or improve profitability. But one is tempted to ask: is staying profitable the be-all and end-all for companies? The answer is a big ‘No’ as enterprises are straining every nerve to think beyond ‘profitability’. Corporate enterprises are showing a ‘real intent’ to make their presence felt, in terms of engaging in societal engagement programs, which bodes well for the future.

There is a pressing need for the corporate world to embrace corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Over the past two decades or so, enterprises have taken to CSR activities in a big way. According to an iamwire report, global software giant Microsoft has been pumping billions of dollars in CSR activities. The IT bellwether has worked closely with many non-profit organizations – what’s more, it even asks its employees to spend a certain number hours each month on volunteering activities for issues that are close to their heart. Search giant Google’s ‘green program’ is another robust CSR initiative aimed at making businesses more reliant on renewable sources of energy.

Of course, there is also a line of thought that companies tend to carry out CSR programs sans any ‘real focus’. This could be true in some cases, but it will be unjust to suggest that a large chunk of companies are not taking CSR with any kind of seriousness.

CSR initiatives are of crucial interest for companies because there is a strong feeling that they must shoulder ‘some sense of responsibility’ in addressing social issues largely dealt with by government agencies, NGOs, etc across the globe. There are broadly two types of corporate social responsibility – one is related to providing funding and resources for social causes (such as donating money to charities etc), while the other is drawing up a comprehensive plan to produce products/services that are in the best interests of society, corporate environment-friendly initiatives, etc.

CSR initiatives are emerging as a ‘must-have’ for enterprises as prospective clients look beyond price, quality and reputation of a service/product. Clients are showing ‘increasing interest’ in knowing how ‘much community engagement presence’ firms are having before they actually avail their product/service.

Realization has probably dawned on companies that CSR can be a ‘strong selling point’ before prospective clients – a strong CSR portfolio can surely help enterprises showcase before clients how much they yearn to ‘do something for the society’. The dynamics of business are such that clients look at companies having a robust CSR background with an ‘extra interest’. A company may a strong reputation, reputed workforce, solid infrastructure, vibrant work environment, etc – but if it has a solid CSR portfolio it lends that ‘X factor’ – thus, a highly effective community engagement program paves the way for companies to come up with new client wins.Community engagement is something clients want to know

CSR initiatives are seen as an integral part of a company’s business strategy as well as in shoring up its ‘already-built reputation’. A study conducted by New York-based private global consulting firm Reputation Institute revealed that reputation is increasingly playing a major role in how companies are bagging client wins. The study says that willingness to buy, recommend, work for, and invest in a company is driven 60% by the company’s reputation and only 40% by the reputation of its products or services. The bottom-line is that CSR activities enhance the feel-good factor about the company.

CSR activities will have its share of challenges. And the biggest of them is ‘execution’ – any CSR initiative without a proper strategy is bound to come a cropper. The effective implementation of a CSR drive is significant as its success lies in the active involvement of all its stakeholders. This is where employee engagement comes into play. The active involvement of the employees is a big factor in shaping up the success of a company’s CSR activity. Such initiatives cannot be termed a ‘success story’ unless it enjoys unstinted support of all employees or at least a bulk of it. It is also not a bad idea at all if existing clients/customers can be a part of such CSR initiatives as this would provide them a helicopter view of how the CSR initiative is conducted.

CSR initiatives must exude a feeling that companies are delivering CSR programs that has a ‘strong community feeling’ ingrained in them and not suggest anything close to being just ‘going through the motions’. Companies must refrain from any half measures and look to generate the right kind of ‘buzz’. The very purpose of conducting CSR initiatives could get defeated if there is no adequate publicity. Enterprises would be well served if they value the essence of creating a buzz about such initiatives – optimizing various social media platforms as well as ensuring such initiatives are published in newspapers, news portals, magazines, etc so that a larger audience is in the know. Media publicity of CSR activities is one aspect, which at times, is ignored by firms and Clearly, CSR initiatives would only get bigger in intensity going forward. Such initiatives are no longer confined to large or mid-sized companies. Even startups have quickly realized the importance of CSR drives and have readily chosen to wear the ‘CSR’ hat. The coming years are poised to see CSR emerge as an indispensable feature of companies.